Rule requiring skirts in badminton suspended(update)

QINGDAO, China: The Badminton World Federation has indefinitely suspended a controversial regulation that would have required women to wear skirts or dresses in competitive matches, a move that many female athletes considered sexist.

The BWF said in a statement posted on its website Monday that it accepted a recommendation from the Women In Badminton Committee to further study the general clothing regulations. The mandatory ruling was initially set to be implemented on May 1, but had been deferred until June 1 after criticism of the plan.

The Women In Badminton Committee, headed by former world champion Nora Perry of England, said the recommendation was also based on feedback from the sport's Athletes Commission.

Some players had accused the game's administrators of sexism, but badminton officials said they were trying to improve the profile of the women's game and help attract more sponsorship. In the past, women had been allowed to wear either skirts or shorts, with players opinions' differing on which were more comfortable.

"There (has) been various feedback from many quarters and after taking into account all these comments, especially those from the Athletes Commission, it is our recommendation to council to do further study before implementing new clothing regulations," Perry said in a statement after the group met at Qingdao during the Sudirman Cup competition.

"It is still our intention to focus on a better presentation of the game, but we will like to broaden the scope to include both men and women, and the feedback will also include views from various stakeholders such as the clothing manufacturers."

The BWF statement said the clothing regulation was one of the steps being taken to raise the profile of women in badminton.

The statement said other initiatives already in place are offering equal prize money for men and women, standardized 21-point rally system for men and women and equal male and female participation across the events offered in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. - AP

Earlier report

Badminton chiefs shelve skirts ruling

QINGDAO: Badminton chiefs yesterday said they had indefinitely shelved a controversial new ruling forcing women to wear skirts or dresses after uproar from countries including China and India.

The new regulation, which sparked the worst internal wrangling in years and saw badminton gain unprecedented media coverage, had already been delayed once but had been due to come into effect on June 1.

The sport’s governing body, the Badminton World Federation (BWF), met on Saturday to find a solution to the emotive issue.

Some players had accused the game’s administrators of sexism, but badminton bosses countered that they were merely trying to boost the profile of the women’s game and help attract more sponsorship. — AFP

Posted by Lucas Liau on 9:00 AM. Filed under Latest News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0